Wal-Mart's Union-Busting, 'Preference For Poverty' Described In Reader Interview

As Walmart has grown into one of the largest corporations in history--it's currently number one on the Fortune 500 list of top earners in the world--its business and labor practices have come under intense scrutiny. Defenders note that the company's management efficiencies have resulted in lower prices for consumers along with huge profits for shareholders. But critics like Lichtenstein say there are enormous social and economic costs to doing business Walmart's way, arguing that the company's industry-defining practices have depressed wages for American workers and hastened the flight of manufacturing jobs overseas.